The present invention relates to a continuous treatment apparatus that offers several features that make it ideal for various treatments, including vacuum dewaxing, sintering, quenching, powdering, brazing, welding, coating, surface treatment, heat treatment and hot pressing, etc.
A continuous treatment apparatus is designed to pass an object to be treated through a plurality of treatment chambers to apply a predetermined treatment to the object in a sequence of steps. A pusher chain type transfer apparatus adapted to drive a chain using sprockets is commonly used to transfer an object to be treated from one treatment chamber to another.
However, because the ends of the chain of a transfer apparatus of this type are moved forward to a position at which the chain passes through treatment chambers, part of the pusher chain is exposed to hot treatment gases at the position, so that the chain is liable to be adversely affected by thermal shock, treatment gas, etc. The sprockets are also adversely affected by thermal shock, treatment gas, etc. because they are disposed in the treatment chambers. The longer a treated object, the farther the pusher chain is moved forward. Accordingly, transfer performance tends to degrade. These problems can easily lead to shorter apparatus life, frequent maintenance requirements, and impaired reliability.
To solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a continuous treatment apparatus adapted so that a treated object can be transferred from a treatment chamber to the next treatment chamber using urging mechanisms between a plurality of treatment chambers, wherein the urging mechanisms have the rack members that can move in the direction of transfer, a pinion which drives the rack members and latching means for selectively engaging the rack members with the treated object, and wherein the rack members are not only engaged or disengaged with the treated object using the latching means, but reciprocated between adjacent treatment chambers through the pinion to transfer the treated object from one treatment chamber to another.
Because the urging mechanism transfers a treated object by reciprocating rack members between the treatment chambers, the rack members and pinion do not need to be installed in the treatment chambers. Thus, rack members and pinion are less likely to be exposed to hot treatment gas, reducing the likelihood of damage resulting from thermal shock and exposure to treatment gas and ensuring stable operation for extended periods. Urging even a long treated object a plurality of times, with the latching means engaged with the object at a different position, allows efficient transfer of the object without large rack members.
In the above structure of the present invention, the rack members are provided in pair and a pinion is engaged with the rack members at the same time and the following operation is repeated: while one of the rack members moves forward to transfer a treated object, the other moves back in preparation for the next transfer, and vice versa.
It is preferable that the latching means of the present invention is provided at a plurality of positions along the direction of transfer of a treated object by the rack members in the above structure.
And also it is preferable that the latching means of the present invention is engaged with a treated object at a plurality of positions along the direction of transfer of the treated object.
To make closing the treatment chambers compatible with proper transfer of a treated object without preventing the mechanisms from interfering with each other, it is preferable that each treatment chamber be opened or closed by a lid, that rack members move along the transfer rail, which links adjacent treatment chambers with the lids open, and that it is possible to perform the following opposite operations around the shaft: (1) when the lid is opened, it is withdrawn to a position at which it does not interfere with the transfer rail or rack members; and (2) when the lid is closed, the transfer rail and rack members are withdrawn to a position at which the rail and rack members do not interfere with the lid.
It is desirable that the lid, the transfer rail, and the rack members of the present invention are installed and withdrawn using a common rotating shaft.
A rod of the present invention is preferred to be housed in the rotating shaft, and the rod ascends or descends to open or close the lid.
In the present invention, it is suitable that a pinion is connected with the rod, and the rod can be rotated without being prevented from ascending and desceding.